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UH Manoa chancellor receives traditional Hawaiian welcome

 

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple received a traditional Hawaiian welcome during his first visit to the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge. It started with a series of oli or traditional chants from members of the faculty.

“It’s their way of saying aloha and welcome,” said Hawaiʻinuiākea Dean Maenette Benham.

A procession led by Benham and Apple then wound its way through the Hawaiʻinuiākea grounds which included a stop at the kūpuna papa, where the iwi or bones of Hawaiian ancestors repatriated to the area are buried.

“We take them to the iwi so that they understand how important our ancestors are,” said Benham.

Along the way, representatives from the different colleges and schools of UH Mānoa welcomed Apple. The group eventually made its way to the hale pili or house at the Ka Papa Loʻi ʻO Kānewai for a traditional awa ceremony. Representatives from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the state legislature, Kamehameha Schools, the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust, the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation and Board of Regents also participated in the ceremony.

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